Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Half-Sugar Xu Bamboo
"Heretical Cultist: Radical ideology, weak morals, obsessed with immediate gains."
"Hypocrite: A dagger hidden behind a smile; a beautiful facade concealing a vile nature."
On his way home from school, Yang Shen was utterly dumbfounded...
Teacher Liu. He had been his PE teacher for three years, ever since his first year of high school.
It would be a lie to say he felt no bond with his teacher. After all, he’d spent the better part of high school in Teacher Liu’s PE classes.
Besides, Teacher Liu was a renowned teacher in Jinshui District, having coached many top students into prestigious Martial Arts Universities. He was highly respected by both the school and the district—practically a minor celebrity. When Yang Shen first found out his PE teacher was Liu Yuankui, his uncle had been thrilled, saying how lucky he was.
’A man like that is a heretical cultist? A hypocrite?’
Although he knew he should trust the System, three years of memories made it impossible for him to fully accept.
Besides, wasn’t Teacher Liu an Innate Realm Martial Artist? Even if he was only at the Early Innate Stage, why did the System display his Cultivation as merely "third-level Qi Cultivation"...
Yang Shen hadn’t received any rewards from the System yet and was completely clueless about the different realms of Cultivation. Still, the "Qi Cultivation Stage" didn’t sound very impressive, yet it apparently corresponded to the Martial Arts Innate Realm...
Skin Refining, Bone Training, Marrow Refining, and only then could one reach the Innate Realm... To Yang Shen, these were already incredibly distant stages.
Having grown up in this Martial Arts Society, he was even beginning to doubt if the System was reliable...
’What in the world is this Cultivation, anyway?’
...
A full day had passed since he’d acquired the System. The main quest was at a standstill, the side quest was proving difficult to advance, and Xu Bamboo had taken the day off from school.
Lost in thought, he walked to the bubble tea shop where he worked part-time. Yang Shen changed into his uniform and stood dazedly behind the order counter.
The shop wasn’t very busy; only two customers came in over the next ten-plus minutes.
The other employees at the shop were all older than him, the youngest being twenty-two. To be out of school and trying to make a living in this sort of position meant they were clearly failures from the college entrance exams—or perhaps hadn’t even made it that far.
Life on Cyan Blue was just that harsh. Students were streamed starting in middle school. Only those with Martial Arts talent could enter a "Martial High School." Can’t practice Martial Arts? Then you could only dejectedly go to a "Wenhua High."
Countless children had their dreams shattered because of this, crying until their eyes were red and swollen.
Yang Shen had only managed to get into Nanliang High School by taking advantage of his school district’s zoning. Otherwise, he likely would have been a Wenhua High student. His talent could only be described as "barely passing the line," leaving him with no competitive edge.
Those who fit neither the martial nor the academic track would enter a "vocational-technical school," becoming another cog in the vast machine of society. The catch was that this cog had no fixed place; full-time positions rarely went to them, and working odd jobs was the norm.
That’s why most of the people in the bubble tea shop had such a somber air about them. Even with the loudspeakers next door blasting music, they couldn’t seem to cheer up.
"Hi, can I get two pearl milk green teas with wild ginseng paste, half sugar, and Source Material milk?"
Yang Shen looked up. To his surprise, it was Xu Bamboo, the very person who hadn’t come to class today!
"Hey! How are you doing? You don’t look injured at all."
Xu Bamboo was wearing casual clothes instead of the blue and white school uniform, which better accentuated her tall, slender, yet still youthful figure. A baggy orange hoodie paired with skinny jeans and a large pair of headphones around her neck gave her a very fresh, energetic look.
In the eyes of many boys, she was the very definition of youthful energy.
Though her features were delicate and gentle, her neat, short hair and slender neck gave her a certain dashing, heroic air.
Xu Bamboo smiled. "It’s a minor thing. Nothing so bad I have to stay in bed. One day of rest and I’m fine."
Yang Shen suddenly remembered Liu Kuiyuan saying he would give Xu Bamboo private lessons too, and his heart tightened. "Have you been learning something from Liu Kuiyuan? Is your injury related to that?"
Xu Bamboo seemed a little surprised. After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to tell the truth. "Teacher Liu taught me an additional Swordsmanship form. It has a good Body Refining effect, but it’s very difficult. I did pull a muscle last night because of it."
Generally speaking, the high school curriculum focused on "Body Refining," and carrying weapons was prohibited, partly to keep overly competitive and aggressive youths in check, and partly to prioritize building a solid foundation.
Only after entering a Martial Arts University would one truly begin to learn the "combat" portion of their training. So, Swordsmanship was indeed a typical "extracurricular lesson." However, it was possible that some forms of Swordsmanship had a correlative effect on Body Refining.
’So that’s what it was,’ Yang Shen thought. He just couldn’t explain it to her outright. It’s not like he could say he had unlocked a System and could see her Life Chart, right?
But out of friendly concern, he still gave her a warning. "Liu Kuiyuan isn’t actually that amazing... His methods might not be good for your body. You’d be better off not trusting him so much."
Xu Bamboo didn’t get angry. Instead, she laughed. "You, the guy in last place, are worried about the performance of the girl in first place?"
Only she could joke with Yang Shen like that; they were deskmates, after all.
But Yang Shen still protested, "I’m second to last, thank you very much."
Xu Bamboo shook her head. "Didn’t you see the group chat? The original last-place student, Liu Wei, gave up on the college entrance exams. He’s already getting ready to find a job."
Yang Shen: ???
While they were chatting, the bubble tea was ready. Xu Bamboo picked one up. "In my opinion, Liu Wei is being foolish. You have to fight for what you want in life. To surrender is to lose half the battle. Giving up on yourself before the exams even start, without the courage to even give it your all... a person like that will never be a winner."
"His family’s financial situation is a bit better than yours, yet he still doesn’t have the courage to compete. You, on the other hand, my dear deskmate, would rather work a part-time job than give up that fighting spirit. Since you’re willing to fight, I’ll definitely support you. See you at school tomorrow!"
With that, Xu Bamboo waved goodbye and left.
Yang Shen mulled over Xu Bamboo’s words...
"Wait, you forgot a drink!"
Xu Bamboo turned back suddenly, tilting her head to look at him over her shoulder. Her short hair swung forward, hiding her delicate earlobes. "I ordered that one for you, dear deskmate. It’s my favorite combination."
Yang Shen picked up the cup of "pearl milk green tea with wild ginseng paste, half sugar, and Source Material milk."
This was basically the most expensive combination the shop offered. The ginseng paste and Source Material milk were special add-ins that, while no match for proper Supplements, still provided a slight boost to one’s Cultivation.
The price wasn’t low; a single cup like this cost nearly a hundred dollars...
What made Yang Shen’s expression even more complicated was that, next to the bubble tea on the counter, there was also a black bottle of "Initial Realm Passage Essence Drink"...
Since Xu Bamboo hadn’t been at school today, he hadn’t taken his drink. After the high-intensity PE class, he felt completely exhausted. His Martial Cultivation hadn’t improved in the slightest; it might have even regressed.
’Maybe this was the real reason Xu Bamboo came all the way here to buy bubble tea?’ He’d never seen her at his workplace before, nor had he ever mentioned its location.
A wave of gratitude washed over him at the thought.
’When I have the chance, I’ll not only treat Xu Bamboo to essence, but I’ll buy her bubble tea, too!’
’Oh, right! Damn it!’
’The side quest!’
’I was so caught up in talking about Liu Yuankui!’
Resigned, he opened the System again and reviewed the details of the side quest.
"Side Quest → A Beauty’s Favor, the Hardest Debt to Repay: ..."
"Mission Option 1: Kill Xu Bamboo, Refine her into a puppet, and play with her day and night...." (Yang Shen: ’What the hell? No!’)
"Mission Option 2: Repay Xu Bamboo, making her feel grateful toward you and perpetually indebted."
"Mission Validity: Three months. After this period, the two of you will likely never meet again."
The text was the same; nothing had changed.
But upon seeing the line, "After this period, the two of you will likely never meet again," the image of Liu Yuankui’s benevolent smile inexplicably surfaced in his mind.
Yang Shen fell into contemplative silence...
He was still worried about Xu Bamboo, so he took out his phone and sent her a message.
"Thanks for the ’Initial Realm Passage’ and the bubble tea. But I wasn’t kidding earlier. Stop practicing Liu Yuankui’s Swordsmanship. He’s really not all he’s cracked up to be."
He didn’t know how far Xu Bamboo had gone, but her reply was quick: "You really need to stop worrying so much."
’The class’s last-place student trying to give academic advice to the top student in the grade... I really have no credibility here, do I...?’
If it weren’t for the complete lack of evidence, Yang Shen would have gone to the police. But even if he did, the cops would probably just think he was a failing student with a grudge against his teacher, just stirring up trouble.
He had no proof whatsoever.
He might even suffer retaliation from Liu Yuankui...
Retaliation from an Innate Expert who knew who he was, where he lived, and had legitimate authority over him.
’That’s something I absolutely can’t afford to face.’
Yang Shen could only persist, sending another message: "Then at least be careful. A couple of days ago, I heard from another class that a senior from a few years back got seriously injured from Liu Yuankui’s private lessons. It was Swordsmanship, too!"
This was, of course, a complete lie fabricated by Yang Shen.
The simple, honest boy could only think to resort to lying.
However, Xu Bamboo’s only reply was: "Okay, okay, I get it!"
...
A few hundred meters away, at the end of the commercial street, Xu Bamboo put her phone away and slid the large headphones from her neck over her ears, her expression one of slight exasperation.
She strode off into the night.
She took a sip of her bubble tea, then shook the cup.
’Did they put too much sugar in this?’
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